Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Yes - PalletPalooza 2018 is coming! We are getting together our PalletPalooza 2018 planning committee and will be announcing dates and more very soon!In the meantime....
___________________________________Find Free Pallets for your next pallet creation at our Alcott Street Location all year.

Follow us on social for fresh ideas, updates about this event, opportunities to new skills and more.
Be social with us - share with us some of your projects, new techniques and tools to help fellow makers, and even pallet creations that you are selling.Suggestions? Have you participated in PalletPalooza? Did you attend PalletPalooza Day? We are listening! Share with us your thoughts, ideas and suggestions for improvement. 😊

We are very pleased with the support we received from the community here in Southwestern Michigan for PalletPalooza™. This special event has given Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan an opportunity to engage the community in a fun and innovative way. 💙

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

PalletPalooza™ 2017 is over and the results are in.... And we are truly inspired by the creations that were entered into the 2nd Annual PalletPalooza™ competition.
And the winning entries -
________________________Grand Prize – Sunrise, Steve Howland

This is a vase made from the pallet cut into small pieces and then glued together into rings. The rings are then stacked and glued and lastly it is turned on a lathe. It is finished with wood dye and lacquer.

Steve Howland: "I love to idea of turning something from raw or previously used materials into something beautiful. I entered Art Prize last year and part of my vase was made from my kids' old defunct dresser. I would love for the public to see what can be done with what some would consider garbage. I am married and have 4 children. I was an elementary school teacher and then became a homeschool teacher to my children. Having grown and moved away, I began turning on a lathe. I have been turning seriously for about three years. Early this spring I was asked to exhibit two of my pieces at the London Art Biennale, where I was awarded third place on the sculpture category."

Built in May 2017, The Vagabar is a mobile bar equipped with
a kegerator system with two faucets from which to dispense beverages from. An
estimated 40 separate pallets were utilized to attain just the right boards to
create just the right character.

The bar top and barkeeper’s work surface are finished with
spar urethane to protect and enhance the natural beauty and patina of the re-purposed
wood. LED lights installed underneath the inner lip of the bar top illuminate
the work area. Set the mood by adjusting the dimmer switch for just the right
ambiance. Plug a blender into the weatherproof AC outlet to whip up some frozen
cocktails – it’s 5 o’clock somewhere! No need to search for a bottle opener,
The Vagabar has two – one bear head between the faucets and one vintage
Pepsi-Cola opener mounted next to the galvanized towel bar.

Under-the-counter space is designed to accommodate the beverage
dispensing system components, a 48 quart ice chest/jockey box and two standard
1/4 barrels (or two additional ice chests) with room to spare. Two heavy duty
slide out shelves are built in to make it easy to stow the kegs or coolers
without having to wrestle them in underneath. Simply slide the 220 pound rated shelves
out, place the kegs on the shelves then slide them in concealing them
underneath. A tap light is mounted under the counter top to illuminate the
storage area.

Most of the outer skin of The Vagabar was lightly sanded but
left unfinished to minimally disturb the weathering, wear and “whiskers” acquired
throughout the travels of the pallets. If that isn’t character enough, throw in
some not so fancy bling with the corrugated metal accents and galvanized pipe
foot rail to add to the rustic appeal.

The Vagabar is no lightweight but moves about free and easy
due to the heavy duty 5 inch casters that it sits atop. Measuring over 8 ft.
wide and 4 ft. deep it will easily accommodate 8-10 persons at a time.

___________________________2nd Place - Pallet Table, Amy Wagner

Reclaimed pallet wood in a chevron pattern over plywood. Pipes and pipe fittings for legs.

Amy Wagner: "I'm an avid DIY'er with home projects, from painting, installing flooring, drywall, etc. I've also been refinishing furniture for about 10 years, which I picked up as a hobby. So far I've only refinished furniture for myself and family close friends. I recently came across some pallets and wondered what I could make out of them... I happened to be in need of a new dining table at the same time, so made myself a table!"

___________________________

Functional

1st Place - Swabby Cabin, John Swabash

Shed made from over 100 pallets complete with windows and a wrap around porch. There is a lean to on the south side as well.

Toni Gore: "I've been making pallet creations for 4 years and love every minute of it. This adventure started out from a friend asking me to make a wedding gift. Needless to say that gift turned into many more and the word spread like wildfire. I'm very thankful for the new friends I meet and all the custom creations I get to make."

Measuring a whopping 40 x 48, this pallet sign was designed for the sanctuary of First Mennonite Church, Wadsworth, Ohio. Micah 6:8 is a favorite scripture of our congregation. The background is a vivid royal blue, with words painted in bright white and soft yellow. This splash of color brightens the 1960s tan brick of the church interior, while focusing our thoughts on our words and deeds.

Sharon Stutzman Hartzler: "I'm a happily married farmer's wife and mom of four who works as a replenishment buyer by day and an artist by night. I've sold several pieces locally and have donated many projects for fundraisers. I usually focus on scriptures, hymns and longer phrases, but have started branching out into animal silhouettes. I can get all the pallets I want from my employer, but I also scavenge at our local Habitat for Humanity Restore for new (to me) canvas materials, such as doors, windows, and cupboards. I call myself ThePaintingFarmwife on Instagram, and hope to soon set up other online accounts under that name."

___________________________

Art & Décor

1st Place - Copper Rays, Chrisanna Customs

24" x 24" Layered Wall hanging -Back Layer features a distressed white washed blue sky -Middle Layer is multiple planks of pallet wood put together than cut to make the rays of the sun aged with yellow paint. -Top layer is a ring of pallet wood with the blades of grass carved out -Finally the whole piece is encircled with copper metal, when the light hits it just right it extends copper rays onto the wall it is displayed on.

Susanna Bunt-Harlan of Chrisanna Customs: "I have been working with pallets for the past 2 years and found that I have a knack for it. It gives me an outlet for my creativity and keeps me sane! There is nothing like taking wood that has been discarded and left for trash and reforming it into something beautiful."

___________________________2nd Place – Sunrise, Steve Howland

___________________________

Thank you to all of our Makers who participated in PalletPalooza™. Your talent and efforts have been inspirational. Many people have never considered creating projects with used pallets and what fun it has been to showcase your creations! Plus, PalletPalooza™ is a fundraiser for Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan and we are grateful for your participation and support. PalletPalooza™ has succeeded in helping us tell our story to more people in Southwestern Michigan community. Visit us at GoodwillSWMI.org to learn more about Goodwill.

Thank you also to our Sponsors for the support, sharing our event, and helping us reach out to so many people!

PalletPalooza™ - Recycled Pallet Creation Competition

PalletPalooza™ is a recycled pallet creation competition and event.
Entry Period is January 1, 2018 through September 1, 2018.
PalletPalooza Day is October 13, 2018
Recycled pallets are being transformed into amazing projects from wall art to furniture.
PalletPalooza™ is celebrating the recycled pallet trend with a competition and awards event. PalletPalooza™ will benefit Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan and its mission to provide employment, education, training, and support services to individuals and families so they can achieve self-sufficiency.